Despite desperately trying to stay up and wait for Howard to come home, Vince had fallen asleep uncharacteristically early. He'd been feeling exhausted at about nine o'clock more and more often recently and it was beginning to scare him. These were the little clues that told him he was ill but he still didn't feel ill. Sometimes he'd lie awake thinking the doctors had made a mistake with their diagnosis. It happened sometimes, he'd seen it on TV; When Doctors are WRONG or Extreme Doctor mess-ups.

It had given him false hope for a while.

"Look Naboo, look." he'd beamed after watching these shows for an entire day. "They've got it wrong, they must have." But Naboo's solemn expression had shown him that the doctors hadn't got it wrong and that he'd have to accept his fate soon enough.

--

Howard's heart felt heavy. This couldn't be true, not after everything they'd been through. It couldn't end like this. He didn't know how he'd thought it would end, maybe they'd die together on the same day after crimping there last moments away in a care home. Then he blushed; Vince was right, that did sound perverse.

"Excuse me sir."

Howard looked up. The lights were blinding him, or maybe it was the tears blurring his eyes.

"Umm, sorry to disturb you but I am supposed to be shutting now."

Howard looked around. The café was deserted. Howard wondered how long it had been like that. He hadn't really noticed anything whilst he'd been sat there. He just watched his coffee growing cold and the monotonous thud-thud of his heart as it pointlessly kept him alive.

"Sorry." he said and was surprised to hear his voice come out strangled and teary.

"Umm, sir. Are you okay?"

"No." Howard answered with brutal honesty.

Obviously not expecting that reply the girl gave a startled cough and said; "Well, umm… would you like me to ring someone to come and get you? A friend maybe."

"No." Howard got to his feat submissively. "I've only got one and he's dying."

"Oh." the girl said dumbly and who could blame her. Howard supposed that when she'd innocently asked a crying man if he was okay, she could never have expected such a tragic revelation.

Howard didn't say another word. He just left the shop and strolled into the perfect, warm evening. It was so wrong. Didn't mother nature know that Vince, his friend, his companion, his world was dying? She couldn't have, because Howard was sure that when she did know, it would never stop raining. The weather would be dark, wet and miserable; just like Howard's heart.

--

When Howard got back to the flat, he was dumbstruck to find Naboo and Bollo carrying on like everything was normal. They were just sat on the sofa smoking a hookah and reading a paper. When Howard came into their view Naboo said;

"Oh Howard. Get us a cup of tea."

Howard snapped.

"What?" he seethed.

"Tea, in a cup. Get me one." Naboo said offhandedly, eyes not coming off the page.

"You're joking!"

"I'm not great at comedy, but even I know that's not funny."

"Naboo, Vince is dying and you just carry on like everything's fine!" Howard yelled.

"Well, flapping around and shouting isn't going to help. Now shut up. You'll wake him up. Anyway, he's been dying for months and you've been carrying on as normal before."

"I didn't know before! And what d'you mean months?! How long exactly?!"

"Since we've been at the shop."

"What?" Howard screamed. "What?" he breathed, as the new information hit him. "Why didn't anyone tell me?"

"Vince didn't want you to worry."

"Didn't want me to…" Howard trailed off dumbly, flopping into the arm chair and running his hands through his hair. "Didn't… Why didn't…? How did…?" Howard stuttered as he racked his brain feverishly for the right question; "What's wrong with him?"

Naboo opened his mouth to answer but they were distracted by a small, sleepy voice.

"Howard?"

They all turned to look at Vince, who was stood by the door rubbing one eye sleepily. "Howard. Are you okay?"

It seemed such a farcical question, given the situation and the man it had come from, that Howard laughed. Laughed and laughed and laughed, until he was crying all over again.

"Howard." Vince said softly, putting his hand on the older man's shoulder. "Don't sit in here. I think we need to talk… away from these two." he added, dragging Howard to his feet weakly and pulling him to their shared bedroom.

Howard slumped down onto his own soft nutmeg sheets and looked at Vince. He seemed so pale and weak as he pulled his own sparkly covers around his thin shoulders. Howard just wanted to drag him into a hug and hold him until it was all over.

"I'm sorry I ran off Vince." he whispered.

"S'okay." Vince sighed, "Naboo explained you were in shock. I just locked myself in a room and cried for three days when I found out."

"When was tha-… oh my god. It was when Naboo said you'd just had a bad reaction to the rancid coconuts? I knew you weren't projectile vomiting like Naboo said you were."

Vince nodded but Howard was too busy looking at his knees to see.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you before Howard." Vince said quietly.

Howard said nothing. He didn't trust himself to speak again without sobbing endlessly.

"I just didn't want… I didn't want you to treat me differently just because I'm, you know, going away."

"Going away?" Howard choked bitterly. "You make it sound like it's some kind of holiday."

"Hmm." Vince sighed. Howard knew the other man was looking at him but he couldn't trust himself to make eye contact, not yet. "Howard."

"Yes, little man?" Vince could help feel, he sounded tired and distressed.

"I wanna write a will." To hear Vince say that out loud made Howard's heart clench painfully but he nodded silently.

"I'm wanna leave everything to you." The older man's chest swelled. "I mean… I know it's not much. Just a few clothes and capes and a few genius hats and stuff. I wish I'd done more with my life now." Vince laughed, though nothing was funny. "But if I don't write one then it goes to next of kin and… well, I don't have a next of kin. You know, no parents, no siblings, no family. Except, well, you. You're like family I guess. But that's not enough is it? Not legally?"

Howard looked at his friend. Vince was rundown, exhausted and was shivering in a way that suggested it had nothing to do with the temperature. Howard was suddenly overcome with the need to hold Vince. He got up slowly and sat softly on the sparkly bed next to his friend, before putting a very tentative arm around his shoulders.

"Will you come with me to write it tomorrow?" Vince asked quietly.

"Of course." Howard replied gently. "If that's what you want."

Howard felt Vince nod against him before burying his face deeper into his chest. He felt a wet patch growing slowly on his shirt as Vince cried silently. After a few moments of silently, unconsciously, rocking Vince, Howard pressed a kiss into his friend's soft hair. It was so soft, Vince wasn't sure if he'd imagined it. Either way, it sobered him up. He dried his eyes on his pyjama sleeve and looked at Howard seriously, before whispering;

"Howard, I don't want to die."

"It's okay." Howard lied, his voice cracking as the tears rolled down his own cheeks. "I'm here." he pulled Vince close. "It's okay. Me and you Vince, all the way… all the way." Howard kept whispering until Vince's breathing had evened out. He shifted slightly so he could lie Vince back in the bed. He tucked him in, like a child and kissed him softly on the forehead before leaving.

Just as he reached the door, he heard the younger man mumble;

"I love you Howard."